Saturday, November 29, 2014

Invaders In My House During My Absence!

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I noticed this insect/wasp roaming near the opening for the cylinder rack often after I came back from our tour for nearly a month. I was telling my husband that it must be building its nest again somewhere under the cooking counter. I was lazy to bend down and check. I did so today and saw this! It is quite big. It was not visible easily. I had to put my head inside near the cylinder to check and then after seeing such a huge one, decided to click and show the world, the tiny insect's hard work!

This is not the first time it is building its nest in our house.

Nearly a couple of months back, it had tried to build its nest here but I removed it because I was afraid the insect might cut the cable. It was on the cable which was connected to the Kent water purifier gadget. So I removed it with a knife. The nest was small, but a small cream coloured worm was inside, alive. I felt bad seeing it.

Its first nest! Looks like a mud pot! The red mud must be from the flower bed! Looks beautiful with a folded edge!

The wasp! Wiki has got a clear photo here It looks similar to our insect. I didn't see her carrying any mud in her mouth...maybe she was carrying inside her tiny mouth! How much hard work!

A close up of the insect in our house. I haven't seen it carrying mud in its mouth anytime! The Wiki link's insect seems to be similar to this one but this nest is different and looks like a 'designer' one! She too looks beautiful!

Must be a month's hard work!

The nest in another angle!

Now, I wonder whether to leave it as it is and wait for the insect to grow up and fly away or should I remove it? It is standing/sticking on the wood. It might spoil the wood. Feel sorry when I saw it today. Humans are bad! Son says let it be there for some more time and see if the worm flies away.

18 comments
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I was shocked by the title of this post. Then I calm down after reading the post. There are good insects and bad insects. I don't know which one is in your home. If it is a bad insect, better to destroy immediately before it destroys your home.

SG: I don't know if it is a good or bad insect, SG. We call it 'kulavi' in Tamil. I have watched them in my old house too. The nests were smaller than the first one in the picture. When I removed them sometimes, the wood hadn't any mark, just the mud mark. Hope this one also doesn't harm the wood. Just debating whether to remove it or not!!!

We don't want to harm anybody or anything, but when it can cause harm to us unintentionally we have to get rid of it. Everyday we kill mosquitoes and flies, ants and cockroaches without a second thought, why do you think we become bad humans when we destroy this?Also it is on the Gas cable. We have had many such mud nests on our doors and windows.

If it's only one or two, I think you could leave it for sometime. But if it tries to bring others and build a colony, maybe you might want to remove it. You could have showed this to me yesterday! Innovative nest building skill in such a small wasp :)

OMG !! Sandhya, I would've removed it immediately. I am greatly wary of insects inside the house.Esp becos its on some wire...I dont think we become bad humans becos of this.But I applaud your patience to click the pics !I too came running reading the title of the post :P

It is Karaiyan, it could spread fast, what we used to have was just tiny mud structure not so huge. You should get rid of it as soon as possible and also spray some anti Karaiyan chemicals so that it doesn't come again in this place or elsewhere.

BK CHOWLA: It was roaming near my feel for some days now. It is not harming me. But am going to remove it!

JOSEPH PULIKOTI: Sure, I am removing it. Since I was not at home, it had built such a huge nest. I admire its handiwork!

RAMA ANANTH: I removed the first nest immediately as soon as I saw it, because it was on the cable. This one is below the kitchen counter, near the gas cylinder, where it is not visible easily. I am going to remove it.

DESTINATION INFINITY: I could have shown it to you, but I thought you might not like it!

I admire its skill, really!

UMS REFLECTIONS: Hahaha...if I had been at home, it wouldn't have built it, such a big designer nest! I have to remove it!!!

ASHOK: Yes, Ashok. I admire it too!

RAMA ANANTH: We had already sprayed chemicals and this is a new house! First let me remove it. If it comes back, then I will call them again to spray chemicals.

They have done a beautiful clay work there. We too faced karaiyan in our previous house in apartment and it weakened all the door frames. The karaiyans actually came through concealed wiring from the house of another. Though we admire their skill, we can’t encourage them anymore sadly!

Those are beautiful captures of your 'intruder'! But you better send him/her packing. Insects inside the house are dangerous in more ways than one, especially if they feel threatened or even unknowingly.We do feel sorry for them because of the effort they have put n to make this beautiful house. But one thing I learn again and again from watching all those programs on Animal Planet/Discovery etc. Nature is cruel. And not just us, everyone is trying to survive and has to choose.

JEEVAN: This is not karaiyan, but kulavi. I had seen then building small nests on window frames often in my old house. When I removed them, I noticed only mud outline, no holes in the wood.

I don't see the insect near the nest now. Probably the worms are gone or the insect didn't like me taking pictures with flash. Anyway, I will remove it and post the cross section of the nest soon!

SG: I was telling this to my son also! I saw them hovering near my legs on many occasions and took the close-up, sitting very close to the insect, all the time expecting it to bite me (!), but it didn't! Will take it out today!

Thank you, SG!

SHAIL: Survival of the fittest! We are the most fittest creations by god!

This is just admiration for the way she has built her palace so painstakingly! Now, it is time to destroy it and take pictures of the inside of her palace. Hope her babies are gone out flying.

The first one, pot-like nest, had one worm, tiny one, inside and it was alive.